1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to card edge connectors adapted to provide visual status indication.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Developments
Various card edge connectors are known in the art. Typically the front edge of a circuit board is inserted in a longitudinal groove of an insulated housing. Adjacent that groove there are a plurality of contacts with arcuate conductive sections arranged in side by side relation adjacent the groove so that conductive pads on the printed wiring board contact the arcuate sections of the contacts as the board is inserted into the groove. Typically such connectors employ a latching member to lock the printed wiring board in place and an ejector for aiding in removing the card from the connector. In some cases the latch and ejector are formed from a single member. U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,649 to Yu et al., is illustrative of such a connector and is incorporated by reference herein. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/621,214 to C. Peterson et al., filed Mar. 22, 1996 for a Locking Ejecting Device For Edge Card Connector and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/588,661 to Yip et al. filed Jan. 19, 1996, for a Printed Circuit Board Connector With Locking Ejector, further illustrate such a connector and are incorporated by reference herein.
There is a need to have a visual indication that a device, such as a circuit board or memory card, is properly inserted in the connector and/or that the device is operating properly. There have been numerous efforts to develop such visual indications as illustrated in the following patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,377,315, 4,869,681, 5,359,492, 5,644,470, 5,801,926 and 5,822,196. Most of these approaches add complexity and cost to the connector.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,041 a jack is provided with an opening that allows light from a light emitter to enter the jacks cavity and emerge from the front opening, as by the insertion of a transparent plug.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an edge connector is provided for receiving a first circuit board. The connector is adapted to provide visual status indication. The connector includes a housing having a circuit board receiving groove and a plurality of electrical contacts arranged in the circuit board receiving groove. An ejector member is provided for ejecting the board from the housing. The ejector member is preferably formed from a translucent or transparent material. A light emitter is optically coupled to the ejector member, so that when the light emitter is lit, the light from the light emitter is transmitted through the translucent or transparent ejector member to provide a visual status indication, which can be seen by the person inserting the circuit board into the connector.
In one preferred embodiment the housing is mounted on a second circuit board and the light emitter comprises an LED mounted on the second circuit board adjacent the ejector member. In another preferred embodiment the LED is surface mounted on the second circuit board adjacent the ejector member. In yet another preferred embodiment the LED is mounted in a hole in the second circuit board adjacent the ejector member. In a still further preferred embodiment the LED comprises part of the connector and is mounted on the housing adjacent to the ejector member. In yet another preferred embodiment the LED is mounted on the second circuit board next to the housing so that the ejector member is coupled to the LED when the first circuit board is loaded in the housing. In a further preferred embodiment the LED comprises part of the connector and is mounted on the housing so that the ejector member is coupled to the LED when the first circuit board is inserted in the connector.
Most preferably the ejector member is a unitary member which may also comprise a latching member, which locks the first circuit board in place when it is inserted into the connector.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an edge connector which provides visual status indication in a simple and cost effective manner.